Deloitte's top executive in charge of human capital discusses the evolution of employment trends
In the rapidly evolving business landscape, companies are focusing on new capacity created by automation to enhance the customer experience. This shift requires a holistic approach that combines technology, culture, and leadership, as highlighted by Deloitte's new US Human Capital Leader, Erica Volini.
Key Challenges
Volini identifies several key challenges organizations face when adopting a digitally-led way of working:
- Cultural Resistance: Employees and leadership may resist changes in workflows and mindsets that digital transformation demands.
- Skill Gaps: There is often a lack of necessary digital skills and capabilities within the existing workforce.
- Legacy Systems and Processes: Existing outdated technologies and traditional processes can hinder seamless digital integration.
- Leadership Alignment: Without strong and aligned leadership, digital initiatives can lack coherence and momentum.
- Employee Experience: Ensuring that changes improve, rather than disrupt, the employee experience is critical but challenging.
- Organizational Agility: Many organizations struggle to become more flexible and adaptive to continuous digital changes.
Solutions Highlighted
To address these challenges, Volini proposes several solutions:
- Culture Change & Change Management: Foster a growth mindset and encourage innovation by promoting openness to change and continuous learning.
- Upskilling & Reskilling: Invest in training programs to elevate digital capabilities across all levels of the organization.
- Modernizing Technology: Transition from legacy IT systems to more agile, cloud-based, and integrated digital platforms.
- Leadership Commitment: Secure strong leadership sponsorship and clearly communicate the vision and benefits of digital transformation.
- Employee-Centered Design: Co-create new digital workflows with employee input to enhance adoption and improve experiences.
- Agile Operating Models: Implement more agile and cross-functional team structures that can rapidly respond to market and technological shifts.
By addressing these challenges with a holistic approach, organizations can more effectively transition to a digitally-led mode of working.
The Future of Work
Leaders will need to be constantly on top of what is happening in the external environment, as future work is not a stop-and-start activity. To achieve a digitally-led way of working, organizations should re-think the way work gets done in terms of what the work is, who is doing the work, and where the work is getting done.
The workforce is expected to shift with more people working off balance sheets and more work becoming automated. Organizations will have to decide whether to reduce headcount or use the new capacity created by automation to take on new work and reimagine existing work. Transparency will be critical for leaders, as employees want to feel connected to a company's purpose, vision, and values.
The Role of the Human Capital Team
The role of the human capital team at Deloitte involves intercepting an organization's performance and business strategy with their workforce and people. Erica Volini is responsible for over 4,000 practitioners helping organizations solve complex human capital issues. These new essential human skills will require training and a rethinking of what type of people businesses want to hire. Companies will have to rethink how they find these skills, possibly looking elsewhere for them.
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In her new role, Volini will focus on the future of the workplace, digitalization, and its implications for organizations globally. Leaders will need to be way more externally focused and highly networked externally to keep a pulse on what's happening in the external environment. They will also need to be able to execute through influence rather than through direct hierarchy.
In conclusion, the shift to a digitally-led way of working presents both challenges and opportunities. By addressing these challenges with a comprehensive approach that encompasses culture, leadership, and technology, organizations can successfully navigate this transformation and thrive in the digital age.
- In the process of adopting a digitally-led way of working, leadership will need to be aware of external changes and maintain a high level of external networking, as this approach requires execution through influence rather than direct hierarchy.
- As organizations aim to reap the benefits of a digitally-led mode of working, they must invest in training programs (such as upskilling and reskilling) to develop necessary digital skills across all levels, enabling their workforce to leverage technology and stay competitive.
